WALTER - Animated Short Film

Scritto, diretto e realizzato da Lorenzo Fresta (CalArts 2019)

Sound design di Ben Huff

WINNER "BEST ANIMATED FILM" at Los Angeles Festival of Cinema
WINNER "BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM" at Rome Independent Film Festival (2020)
FINALIST at Rome Independent Prisma Award (2020)
FINALIST at Movievalley Bazzacinema (2019)
SEMI-FINALIST at Visualis Film Festival (2019)
SEMI-FINALIST at Los Angeles Cine-Fest (2020)
SEMI-FINALIST at Laurus Film Festival (2020)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at Beverly Hills Film Festival (2020)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at Wellington Independent Film Festival (2020)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at San Francisco Independent Film Festival (2020)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at La Guarimba Film Festival (2020)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at Cardiff Animation Nights (2020)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at Ciné Court Animé (2020)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at shnit Worldwide Shortfilmfestival (2020)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at WEIRD International Animation Market and Festival (2020)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at Wasteland Film Festival (2019)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at Mountain Tales Film Festival (2019)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at CineX Independent Film Festival (2019)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at Cinekid ScreeningClub (2020)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at Big Shoulders International Film Festival (2020)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at 12th International Children's Film Festival (2019)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at DUMBO Film Festival (2019)
OFFICIAL SELECTION at JELLY FEST (2020)

[agentmischief]

When I saw the character design I was like "wow, this looks like something from Ghibli"

[sylvieshuu]

Cultivating plants in a world devoid of water. Beautiful!

[grimmmorio]

Such a wonderful movie! The backgrounds tell so much with so little, it truly incapsulates the look of a small italian town, and the animation is so good!!! When I thought I knew what the story was about it blossomed in such a whimsical and dreamy ending! Also as an italian seeing the posters of a certain bunch of shitheads all teared up made me smile more than a little. Great movie, can't wait to see more of your stuff

[snugbug]

I love Walter. He’s so well characterized and emotional I love this short film!!

[carolinewalters]

This reminds me of something I would've found in an illustrated book for children, which I mean as a high compliment to your work. I'm also fond of toads, frogs, or other amphibious creatures, so one of the reasons I decided to watch.

I don't know how long it took you to create this work of animated art. I wasn't sure what to expect because of how abandoned the town looks and old, it gave me the feeling of he could be alone or there could be other residents there we don't know about yet since we're only focusing on him. This has the feeling of being part of a bigger world, if you so choose to expand upon it.

Your style has some touches of Ghibli about it, which has become a worldwide recognized art style in itself when it comes to animated films. Consider that another compliment to your choice of colors, art style, character design, backgrounds, and lighting.


Keep up the wonderful work you're doing. Be encouraged to continue doing what you love if this is something you want to pursue.

Sincerely,

A fellow animated enthusiast

[gildedpeahen]

I see it as a bit post apocalyptic, or post technology at least society. The garbage that characterizes the Anthropocene piles up. He treks each day far from town, to find a cloud…he waters his plants because they bring him joy, and he loves them. I see the magical plant as the last of its kind, having a joyous resurrection, and thanking him. Walter doesn’t try to “own” the flower, but lets it be wild and free 🖤
Thank you, I loved this creation.

[sustainablysiera]

This speaks volumes seconds in. Pollution, Drought, Extreme Heat, the main character being an animal that requires a semi-aquatic environment to survive, but has plants in an indoor setting so he can have a somewhat normal habitat.

[cascadianrangers]

I always have 6 minutes to watch someone's little animated masterpiece. This must have taken so long, so much work. Really great. This feels familiar, like a dream Ive had before but don't remember

[foxpro]

this is one of the most beautiful shorts live seen in a while. no dialogue needed and the animation really reminds me of a Ghibli film. you are truly a great artist and i hope to see more of you.

[Summitic]

This is beautiful. Congratulations. I hope to see more short films in the same aesthetics ans vibes. This reminded of the Japanese animated series about Sindbad ( Arabian Nights: Sinbad's Adventures (アラビアンナイト シンドバットの冒険,  Arabian Naito: Shindobatto no Bōken) ). You should start a crowd funding campaign to create an entire series like this.

[phuongnhi]

The scene when Walter flew high & emerged himself in the dandelion cloud. My heart just felt so warm & peaceful.

[jeefberky]

Been a while since I've felt so lovingly giddy while watching an animated short. It's grandeur is very subdued and treated with similar reverence as Walter's daily struggle, it's somehow very down to earth and fantastical at the same time, like a childlike wonder, which is something I've seldom come across in anything other than Ghibli films. Similarly, I rarely see such mastery over the mundane, not needing to speed to the next interesting plot point because you know how to make simple things interesting to behold. Bravo.

[xNoiiRxcCoeuRx]

Reminds me of Ghibli Studios, the Artstyle and the way he reacts, overarching but the still contained character movements. Gave me so much serenity. Thank you!

[haydenrfroehlich]

I see it as the joy of contributing to the cycle of life in a world that seems devoid of it.
Beautiful beautiful work here. The expression work is subtle but conveys so much personality and emotion.

[petergambier]

Well done Lorenzo, good effort by you and the team.

I really think (and hope) that hand drawn will come back again and spent about 20 years working on animated features and commercials as an assistant animator, so I can appreciate the amount of work that had to be done.

If you worked on features you had to draw at least 10 to 12 finished drawings per day. In commercials it's about 40 per day and at the studio in Munich where I worked our 4 woman cell painting team took about 1 week to finish 350 cells for an average advert.
Then the boss bought a digital system called Animo and 1 operator took 5 hours to finish the work and, unlike the cell painters work, which still had to go to the camera rostrum and be mixed with the live action footage, the digital work was ready to publish.

I quit in 2002 when everything went digital, now I'm a lime plasterer.

All the best from England.

[uyanie]

This made me cry. I have a friend who passed away recently. The last picture he shared was a picture of a dandelion. My dear friend is terribly, sorely, extremely missed.

[marylamb]

I love the versatility of Walter's hat.

[owenbunker]

waltuh, put the bottles down, waltuh

[ROVideos]

I noticed Walter is a lefty. Just like Lorenzo. ONLY if you are left handed would you walk the bike on the right side. And in Lorenzo's profile picture he's holding the phone with his left hand. Nice touch.

[Hello-oewg]

Walter put your bottles away walter

I'm not interested in buying milk today walter